1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to process operation or control. More particularly, the present invention relates to improving process efficiency.
2. Background Information
Existing systems for improving process efficiency, for example, manufacturing plant processes, assume the efficiency only depends on the variables that can be controlled. Since these existing systems ignore the uncontrolled variables, they attempt to find the perfect formula for optimum efficiency of plant operation. However, any plant will have variables that cannot be controlled. Further, these uncontrolled variables often have a significant effect on the efficiency of the plant. For example, in a manufacturing plant including furnaces, wind may have a significant effect on the efficiency of a given furnace on a particular day. Therefore, attempts to arrive at a formulation for plant efficiency that ignores uncontrolled variables is, by and large, illusory.
Thus, a need exists for a way to improve process efficiency that does not ignore uncontrolled variables.
Briefly, the present invention satisfies the need for a way to improve process efficiency that does not ignore uncontrolled variables by providing method, apparatus and article of manufacture that collect data for process control variables (i.e., controllable variables) and at least one process output property (e.g., an efficiency or quality control measure), experimenting with one or more of the process control variables, and determining an effect on the output property from the experiment. In this way, the invention seeks to constantly tweak the process to account for any effect, controllable or not, that may have undesired consequences, to the extent practicable through manipulation of the controllable variables.
The present invention provides, in a first aspect, a method of operating a process, comprising collecting process control data regarding a plurality of process control variables and output data regarding at least one process output property, automatically altering for a predetermined period of time at least one of the plurality of control variables, and determining an effect on the at least one aspect of the process due to the altering.
The present invention provides, in a second aspect, a system for performing the method of the first aspect.
The present invention provides, in a third aspect, an article of manufacture, comprising at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect performance of the method of the first aspect.
These, and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.